Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-07

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

1968 and 2018: average weekly spending by families

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The bar graph demonstrates the how expenditure of families in a country on their weekly salary in 1968 and in 2018.

Overall, it is clear that, food showed an upward trend as opposed to fuel and power in 1968, while personal goods including food and power experienced a decline in 2018.

First of all, in 1968 food stood outnumbered at 35% on -axis in average weekly spending by families. It is then plunged housing and clothing and footware at the value of 10%. Similarly, leisure dipped slightly to 9%. By contrast, the categories of household, personal goods and transport leveled off at 8%. After that all, fuel and power dwarfed by only 6%.

On the other hand, in 2018 leisure accounted for a significant number at 23%. This is followed by a steadily declined in housing and food at the value of 19 and 17 percentage respectively. Similarly, transport shows the usage of weekly income at 14%. By contrast fuel and power and personal goods are equal in value at 4% which is surpassed at 5% by clothing and footware. While, household goods remains at exact like in 1968

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response provides an overview and selects key data points, but the analysis is significantly hampered by inaccurate reporting of the data. For instance, you state that food was 35% in 1968, which is correct, but then claim it 'plunged' to 19% in 2018, whereas the graph shows a decrease to 17%. Furthermore, the overview is confusing; you mention food showed an 'upward trend' when the data clearly shows a decline from 35% to 17%. The description of the 2018 data contains several inaccuracies regarding the specific percentages and trends. To improve, ensure that your summary of trends aligns precisely with the visual evidence provided in the chart.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or misused. Phrases like 'After that all' and 'This is followed by a steadily declined' are grammatically awkward and do not effectively link ideas. While there is a logical progression from the 1968 data to the 2018 data, the internal cohesion within paragraphs is weak due to these errors. To reach a higher band, focus on using transition signals more naturally and ensure that referencing (e.g., 'this', 'these') clearly points back to the intended information.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is limited and sometimes inappropriate for a formal report. You use words like 'dwarfed' and 'outnumbered' in ways that do not accurately describe statistical data. There are also several word-choice errors, such as 'clothing and footware' (spelling: footwear) and 'remains at exact like'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the basic meaning, but it lacks the precision required for describing trends and comparisons. Expanding your repertoire of reporting verbs and nouns (e.g., 'fluctuated', 'proportion', 'expenditure') would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'demonstrates the how expenditure', 'food stood outnumbered at 35% on -axis', and 'a steadily declined in housing'. There is a lack of control over sentence structure, particularly with passive voice and prepositional phrases. While you attempt some complex structures, they are often faulty, leading to confusion. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct word order. Proofreading for common errors like missing articles or incorrect verb forms will help increase your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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